


Stepping Stones

by sharpiesgal (TigerLily)



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Beginnings, M/M, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-23
Updated: 2013-02-23
Packaged: 2017-12-03 07:39:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/695857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TigerLily/pseuds/sharpiesgal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A charity ball and past mistakes bring together two unlikely men.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stepping Stones

Clint had always wondered in his darkest moments what it would be like to be confronted with his past mistakes, or at least his less lethal ones. Natasha wasn’t the only one who had red in her ledger.

Tonight, he was getting the answer to all that wondering as Phil and Natasha walked into the ballroom Tony had rented for his first annual Avengers Ball with their respective partners.

Phil had Steve’s arm around his waist and their heads were together as they shared a casual observation. Natasha had her fingers entwined with Fury’s and they were laughing and smiling at each other.

Just watching them be happy hurt more than Clint thought he could bear, and once again he was cursing himself for falling in love so easily.

He finished his drink and thought about drowning the pain in more bourbon, but that always brought more pain so he set his empty glass down and turned away from the bar. He headed outside to get some fresh air and possibly a fresh perspective.

* & *

Clint leaned against the cold, iron railing of the balcony with a soft sigh. He had just come off a long term deep cover mission and really wasn’t in the right frame of mind to be social, but he had been ordered to attend the ball since he was an Avenger and the proceeds went to charity. So he donned his tux and came only to end up staring at the Manhattan skyline like a love sick fool.

He was trying not to think about how a small part of him still loved Phil and Natasha despite the fact that neither one ever reciprocated that particular feeling when it came to him.

“Don’t think of them as mistakes, but as stepping stones to somebody better,” Tony said as he stepped up beside Clint holding a tumbler of scotch. He had seen the wistful expression cross Clint’s face when his former lovers had entered the ballroom, and he had come outside to make certain Clint was all right.

“What makes you think I’m thinking about them at all?” Clint countered hiding the surprise he felt at the fact that Tony even knew of his past relations with Phil and Natasha.

“You’re out here pretending to be all kinds of mysterious while they are in there dancing the night away,” Tony reasoned with a smirk.

Clint snorted in derision. He reached up and undid his bowtie since it was suddenly making him feel claustrophobic. “I am mysterious.”

“Yeah, and Nick Fury isn’t a scary motherfucker.”

“Does Pepper know you’re off your leash?”

“Pepper was never that kinky in the bedroom,” Tony quietly remarked before polishing off his drink. “Besides, we broke up over a month ago.”

Clint turned to face Tony resting a hand on Tony’s forearm to keep him from retreating back inside. “Sorry to hear that,” he said and he was surprised to discover that he truly was.

“You are the first person who truly is.”

“Shouldn’t I be?”

“I didn’t come out here looking for pity,” Tony murmured. 

“I’m certain the great Anthony Stark doesn’t need my pity even if I were inclined to give it to him,” Clint rebutted wondering why Tony had sought him out in the first place. It wasn’t like they were best friends or anything.

Tony wrenched his arm from Clint’s grasp and said, “I’ll remember that the next time you need something from me,” before stalking back inside.

“Fuck,” Clint muttered.

* & *

Clint cleared a spot on Tony’s workbench and sat his peace offering on it. He turned to quietly leave the lab, but paused when he saw Tony standing in the doorway.

“Is that what I think it is?” Tony softly inquired.

“Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte #8,” Clint answered his tongue tripping over the Gaelic in the name.

“It’s Bruichladdich,” Tony said pronouncing it as ‘brookladdie’ with an amused chuckle. It was a very expensive brand of Scotch and Tony had a feeling Jarvis had helped Clint acquire it, but he wasn’t inclined to find out how or when.

“It’s a peace offering since I went out tonight without my social filter,” Clint explained as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants unintentionally stretching the fabric cross his crotch.

“You weren’t the only one,” Tony admitted his eyes assessing Clint trying desperately not to get aroused by how good the archer looked in his tux with the bowtie still hanging undone from his collar. “So you want to go upstairs and have a glass?”

Clint gave a casual shrug of his shoulders. “Sure,” he agreed slightly smirking at how Tony was trying and failing at hiding his interest in him. He slipped a hand out of his pocket to snag the bottle by its neck. “We can drink to past mistakes.”

* & *

Clint woke to find himself sprawled naked on the couch in the penthouse suite with Tony equally naked stretched out on top of him. He couldn’t remember much past their fifth glass of Bruichladdich, but he found that he really didn’t care.

Tony groaned and shifted causing their morning erections to rub against each other and pulling a soft moan from Clint as well. He cracked open his eyes and murmured, “What the hell?”

Clint chuckled. “Apparently, Bruichladdich kicked our collective asses.”

“That doesn’t explain everything,” Tony calmly remarked as he tried not to move.

“I’m going to assume that we both get very handsy when drunk,” Clint hazarded a guess ignoring the dried semen on their stomachs.

“Not to give you performance issues, but did we manage to make it past first base?”

“Honestly, I don’t remember, but if you want to pick up where we left off then I’m game.”

Tony didn’t need to be told twice. He dived in and took Clint’s mouth in a hungry kiss.

Clint slipped his hand behind Tony’s head curling his fingers into the dark curls pulling him closer and allowing himself to enjoy the pleasure Tony was freely offering.


End file.
